A Union of Unions

This morning, Randi Weingarten and representatives from more than a dozen unions showed up on the steps of City Hall to officially announce their new, 19-member coalition intended to strengthen their hand in collective bargaining negotiations with the city.

But you have to wonder how this is actually going to work in practice. The coalition’s voting mechanism is not exactly streamlined. (All 19 leaders are present at the negotiation table, five appointed chairs weigh a proposed agreement, three of the five have to ratify the agreement before two thirds of the unions sign off.)

And the coalition still has some basic agreements to hammer out.

“We don’t have a name yet,” said Weingarten, when we asked what they planned to call themselves. “We are still considering it.”